Jay Smith Field at Ridgeland High School will host the 21st edition of the Stump Martin Memorial Tennessee-Georgia All-Star Baseball Classic this Tuesday night (June 25).
Some of the top recent graduates from Southeast Tennessee will take on their counterparts from Northwest Georgia in a nine-inning clash.
New this season will be a late afternoon game featuring the top recent eighth grade players from across the Greater Chattanooga Area. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m., followed by the high school (Class of 2024) home run derby (6 p.m.) and the Baseball Classic (7 p.m.).
Tickets will be $7 at the gate, while kids under 12 will get in for free.
Many noteworthy names have played in the Classic over the years, including current Colorado Rockies pitcher Dakota Hudson, who was the game’s MVP back in 2013.
This will be the seventh time the Classic will be played at Ridgeland, which hosted the inaugural game in 2002 and hosted again in 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
It has also been played at Engel Stadium and BellSouth Park/AT&T Field in Chattanooga, in addition to McCallie, Ooltewah and Lookout Valley High Schools over the years. The Classic was not played in 2020 or 2022.
A trio of NCAA Division I signees helped pave the way for the Peach State in last year’s game as Zach Lyles (Sonoraville), Tyler Neises (Dalton) and Ross Norman (Ringgold) combined for six hits, including a pair of home runs, seven runs scored and nine RBIs in Team Georgia’s 12-3 victory.
Neises, who finished 2 for 2 with a single, a homer and a walk, was named the Georgia Player of the Game for his three-RBI performance. Norman was 3 for 5 with four RBIs and took home the night’s Most Valuable Player award. Lyles finished with three runs scored and two RBIs. He also struck out three batters in two innings after getting the start on the mound.
Tennessee Player of the Game honors went to Colby Elwood (Whitwell), who had a double in two at-bats and pitched two scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out a team-high three batters.
It was Georgia’s first win in the series since a 19-1 rout in 2018. Tennessee still holds a 16-4 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 2002, though three of Georgia’s wins have come in the last seven meetings.
The game is named in honor of its founder, the late Marvin “Stump” Martin, who served for many years as a sportswriter in the Tri-State Area and host of “Stump On Sports Late Nite”, which ran on cable in the north Georgia and Chattanooga market for nearly 35 years. Martin passed away in 2018.
The game is named in honor of its founder, the late Marvin “Stump” Martin, who served for many years as a sportswriter in the Tri-State Area and host of “Stump On Sports Late Nite”, which ran on cable in the north Georgia and Chattanooga market for nearly 35 years. Martin passed away in 2018.
TEAM TENNESSEE
Head Coach: Lance Rorex (Silverdale Baptist)
Hank Adams (Bradley Central)
Alex Brew (Bradley Central)
Brody Casteel (Bradley Central)
Josh Leek (Bradley Central)
Ethan Stoddard (Chattanooga Christian)
Nick Luse (CSAS)
Ethan Porterfield (CSAS)
Maddox Bohannon (East Hamilton)
Camron James (Howard)
J.K. McKevie (Howard)
Rylan Collins (Lookout Valley)
Brayden Abney (Marion County)
Maddox Jones (Silverdale Baptist)
Owen Phillips (Silverdale Baptist)
Luke Rector (South Pittsburg)
Zach Tierney (South Pittsburg)
Kamden Wellington (South Pittsburg)
Felipe Castellanos (Walker Valley)
Braxton Smith (Walker Valley)
TEAM GEORGIA
Head Coach: Drew Walker (Ringgold)
Isaac Green (Calhoun)
Luke Simms (Calhoun)
Ryan Johnson (Cartersville)
Luke Miller (Cartersville)
Luke Swinney (Coahulla Creek)
J.C. Armour (Heritage)
Brady Chandler (Heritage)
Max Owens (Heritage)
Kendall Chumley (LFO)
Wyatt Blevins (Ridgeland)
Ethan Waters (Ridgeland)
Conner Christopher (Ringgold)
Sebastian Haggard (Ringgold)
Brock Clements (Sonoraville)
TEAM TENNESSEE (EIGHTH GRADE)
Coach: Brian Hitchcox (Soddy-Daisy)
Cosmo DeMatteo (Baylor)
Christopher Smith (Baylor)
Reagen Roberson (Bledsoe County)
Kagan Smith (Chattanooga Christian)
Noah Berry (Hixson)
Easton McEntyre (Hixson)
Braden Shell (Loftis)
Hatcher Caldwell (McCallie)
Ryce Phillips (McCallie)
Gavin Miller (Rhea)
Holden Armstrong (Sequatchie County)
Dillon Frizzell (Sequatchie County)
Drew Wyatt (Signal Mountain)
Brodie Haynes (Soddy-Daisy)
Fisher Higgins (Soddy-Daisy)
Shane Hillian (Soddy-Daisy)
Ty Hitchcox (Soddy-Daisy)
TEAM GEORGIA (EIGHTH GRADE)
Coaches: Jeff Guffey (Gordon Lee), Tyler Payne (Ringgold), Nick Tracy (Chattanooga Valley)
Colton Forester (Chattanooga Valley)
Stryker Harden (Chattanooga Valley)
Kaden Gray (Chattanooga Valley)
Jax Middlebrooks (Chattanooga Valley)
Kaiden Williams (Chattanooga Valley)
Kiyon Williams (Chattanooga Valley)
Colby Burgess (Heritage)
Judd Mitchell (Heritage)
Peyton Wilson (Heritage)
Jullian Barrera (Ringgold)
Maddux Cummings (Ringgold)
Brody Raby (Ringgold)
Brantley Anderson (Trion)
Landon Marshall (Trion)
Drake Hughey (Calhoun)
Trevon Thomas (Calhoun)
Jasper Beason (Gordon Lee)
Carson Clark (Gordon Lee)
Braven Linebarger (Gordon Lee)
